CONTAGIOUSNKSS OF THE DISEASE. 27 



liowcver, undergone a sea voyage during the heat of 

 summer, and been sent to Smithfield, and indeed been 

 subjected to the same ordinary causes of disease as 

 those before spoken of. It is also worthy of remark 

 that they were dipped, and thus exposed to that cause 

 which was thought to have produced the malady in 

 Mr. Goodchild's flock. Mr. Weall added his testimony 

 to the observations we had frequently heard made by 

 salesmen and others, to the effect that the Merinos 

 appeared well calculated for " stock sheep," and were 

 likely to prove a source of profit to the feeder. 



An attentive and impartial consideration of all these 

 facts will, we trust, give the true explanation of the 

 outbreak of variola cvina in this country ; and there- 

 fore we shall now proceed to describe certain experi- 

 ments that we instituted to determine the special cha- 

 racters of this affection. 



Experiment 1. 



On the 6th of September, a healthy Down sheep 

 was placed in a shed for tzoelve hours with one of the 

 affected Merinos sent by Mr. Statham, and afterwards 

 was removed to a sufficient distance to preclude the 

 possibility of the disease being subsequently communi- 

 cated by infection. It was daily watched, and no ap- 

 pearance of indisposition presented itself until the 

 morning of the IGth of September, when the animal 

 was observed to refuse his food, to be dull and dispirited, 

 and otherwise to manifest indications of febrile excite- 

 ment. On examination of the skin on the inside of 

 the thighs and arms, numerous red isolated patches of 

 eruption were seen to exist ; thus proving tliat the dis- 

 ease had been produced by contagion. 



